Manufacture of cellular boards.



` PATLNTLD FEB. 4, 1908.

L No. 878,408.

- s. M. LANGSTON.

MANUPAGTURL 0F CELLULAR BOARDS.

PPLIGATION FILED JUN 2 1 3 SHEETS-SHEET z.

m. Hlm S ma, n Nn M Wd 0 WZWU A Z w/rA/Essfs 31 w @im fm/m4 No. 878,403. PATENTED TBB. 4, 1908. S. M. LANGSTON.

MANUPAGTURE 0F CELLULAR BOARDS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27. 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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ATTORNEYSA SAMUEL MACDONALD LANGSTON, OF CAMDEN, NEWJERSEY.

MANUFACTURE OF CELLULAR BOARDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1908.

Application filed June 27,1907. Serial No. 381.048.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I7 SAMUEL MACDONALD LANGsToN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Camden, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Cellular Boards, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in the manufacture of cellular boai'd or double-faced corrugated paper, and relates more particularly to the method and apparatus employed for the applying of the second facingsheet to single-faced corrugated paper aiidf pasting the parts together under a resilient-'but uniform pressure and while heat'is being applied thereto.

In the manufacture of double-faced corrugatedpaper or cellular board, various attempts have been made to apply both of the facing' sheets to the intermediate or corrugated sheet in a single apparatus and by the use of a single series of steps. These attempts h'ave been crowned with questionable success, due to the great difficulties encountered. It is essential that the two facing sheetsshallbe perfectly taut and firmly secured tothe corrugated sheet. In case either facing sheet is not tightly stretched from the crown of each corrugation to the crown of the next successive one, a certain amount of free play is permitted and the completed structure may readily bend at this point. In case the tops of the corrugations are flattened or broken down, the structure is materially weakened and its value reduced. In thel corrugating of the intermediate sheet and the pasting of this sheet to the first facing sheet, it is difficult to insure all of the coiiugai ions being of exactly the same height iu respect to the facing sheet, and, therefore, if high pressure is applied while the second facing sheet is being secured, lthere is liability of crushing the crowns of all of the high corrugations, or failing to paste the second facing sheet to the crowns of the lower corrugations. l

In the various'arts in which double-faced corrugated paper is commonly employed, a slight variation in the height of the different corrugations is not at all objectionable, but the greatest possible rigidity is very much desired. Vivhen used to reinforce and strengthen pictures or the like being sentl through the mail, a variation oi' a fraction of l an inch is of no consequence whatever, but a fault in the structure may result inthe bending and complete destroying of the article sought to be protected. Rigidity but not necessarily uniformity in thickness is also desired, when the cellular board is employed as division plates in packing cases.

In the manufacture of cellular board in accordance with my invention, I apply the first facing sheet to the intermediate corrugated sheet in any suitable well-known manner, and the essential portion of the invention herein claimed resides in the applying of the second facing sheet to the singlefaced corrugated paper. corrugations are first treated with paste or any other suitable adhesive, and while both facing sheets are held as taut as possible the two are drawn between a heavy belt and' a heated surface. The second facing sheet comes adjacent the heated surface, while the heavy belt engages with the opposite facing sheet and holds the product with uniform pressure against the heated surface. The belt aids in advancing the material, and the freedom of movement of the belt intermediate its supporting pulleys permits it to accommodate itself to any uneveiinesses in the height of the corrugations, but its weight is generally sullicient to provide the necessary pressure and aid the pasting and moisture-expelling action on the oppositely-disposed heating surface. The pressure a plying means travels with the product an at the saine rate, whereby there is no rubbing or sliding action upon this side, but the entire product slides or moves over the heated surface to bring out an ironing effect. To facilitate the subdividing of the product into sheets of the desired size, I so construct the machine that thc advancing mechanism stops intermittently while the cutting mechanism is operated, and the advancing mechanismis constructed to operate at any desired rate in respect to the cutters, so as to readily control tlic size of the subdivisions.

The invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, all of which will be fully set forth hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be lhad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in ail the figures, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete The crowns of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the o osite side from that shown at the right of ig.

1; Fig. 3 is a top plan view ofthe arts shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detail section through 5 the speed-changing gear; Fig. 5 is an end view of the gearing employed to intermittently interrupt the advancing of the product; Fig. 6 is a side view of the gears shown at the upper portion of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the complete product.

l The product produced in carrying out my invention' is illustrated in Fig. 7, said product comprising three separate sheets, namely, a facing or base sheet A, a corrugated sheet B, and a second base sheet or facing C. Each of the two facing sheets is pasted to the crowns of the corrugations of the intermediate sheet and is stretched taut between said crowns, whereby the intermediate sheet serves as a truss or brace between the two outer ones. The corrugated sheet may be pasted to one of the facing sheets by the use of any suitable apparatus or process, the invention herein claimed relating to the applying of the second facing sheet to a singleaced article.

The o erating parts of the machine are mountedp on a suitable framework 10 and include aheater 11, a traveling belt 12 serving to hold the second facing in engagement with the corrugations and against the heater 11. A second belt -13 coperates with the first belt to advance the product and main- 35 tain the facing sheets taut, and a suitable cutter 14 is provided for sub-dividing the product into sheets 'of thedesired size. The single-faced corrugated. paper is drawn from a roll or other suitable source of supply, and passes first through the paste or adhesiveapplying apparatus; this apparatus including a container 15 having a roller 16 dipping therein and transferring the paste to a second smaller roller 17 in engagement with the crowns of the corrugations of the sheet B. Adjacent the roller 17 is a third roller 18, preferably directly above the roller17 and supported upon pivoted arms, whereby the Weight of the roller 18 holds the corrugations against the paste-applying roller 17, and, at the same time, resists the passage of the sheet between the rollers and -serves as a brake to hold the paper between the pasting apparatus and the machine, for holding the second facing sheet as taut as may be found necessary. The facing sheet A as above stated is drawn from a suitable roll or other source of supply and passes through a plurality of rolle'rs 19, which serve to retard the sheet and cause it to be drawn taut during the assembling process.

Mounted upon the main frame" is the.

heater 11, which comprises a steam chest having connections thereto for delivering 65 steam or other suitable heating medium to 878,4oa Y between the surface of the belt passing over said pulley and the upper 'surface of the heater. The pulley 21 is mounted a considerable distance beyond the end of the heater 11, and that portion of the belt between the end of the heater and the pulley 21 coperates with the lower belt 13 to constitute the advancing or feeding'mechanism. The belt 12 is mounted upon two pulleys 22 and 23, the latter of which is mounted directly below the pulley 21, and of such size corresponding thereto and connected by such gearing, that the two belts move at exactly the same rate. Intermediate the two pulleys 22 and 23 is mounted a su porting mechanism 24, including a plura ity of small rollers closely adjacent each other, which serve to prevent the belt 12 .from sagging and to hold the two belts in firm engagement with each other, to facilitate the advancement of the completed cellular board.

For driving the belts and operating the cutter or subdividing mechanism, there is provided a main drive shaft 25 having a gear 100 wheel 26 upon one end thereof, intermeshing with a gear wheel 27 upon a shaft 28 carrying the rotary cutter 14. The cutter comrises two or more longitudinally-disposed linives or blades 29, mounted arallel to the 105 shaft 28 and mounted to revo ve about said shaft and pass closely adjacent the cutting edge of a stationary plate 30. This cutting edge is in aline/ment with the upper surface of the heater and the upper ortion of the belt 110 13, and serves to support t e complete cellular board as it emerges from between the belts at the pulleys 21 and 23. As the cutter rotates, the blades are brought adjacent the edge of the plate 30 and sever the portion of 1 15 the board extending. beyond said plate, the board being held stationary during the cutting action by means of' the mechanism herein described. Any number of blades may be mounted about the shaft 28, and the 120 speed of the advancing mechanism in proportion tothe speed of the cutter, may be changed to control the dimensions .of the finished boards.

For intermittently operating the advancing mechanism from the continuously rotating shaft 25, I provide lost motion connections including a gear wheel 31 rigidly secured thereto and cut away to leave a sectorshaped recess 32 in one side thereof. Mount- 130 l the gear wheel 31 and the projection 34.

ed upon the shaft 25 adjacent the gear wheel 31 is a wheel 33 having a projection 34 eX- tending into the recess and provided with teeth forming a continuation of the teeth of the wheel 31. The projection 34 is of less width than the recess, and it is free to move within said recess to engage with either of the two opposite sides thereof. The wheel 33 is not rigidly secured to the shaft 25, but a suitable coil spring 35 or other suitable mechanism is provided for holding the wheel 33 in engagement with the Wheel 31, and tending to rotate the wheel 33 in the direction of rotation of the shaft 25, so as to hold the projection against the advancing side of the recess.

Mounted adjacent the drive shaft 25 is a shaft 36 having a gear wheel 37 in mesh wijth s the shaft 25 rotates, the teeth of the projection come into engagement with the gear wheel 37, and as there is considerable resist- A ance to the rotation of the latter, this Wheel and the rojection. 34 remain stationary in the position indicated in Fig. 5, until the rear side of the recess of the Wheel 31 comes into lengagement -with the projection 34. The projection is then caused to rotate with the remainder of the wheel 31 'and the wheel 37 is again caused to rotate. During the time that the projection 34 is remaining stationaryfthe s ring 35 is being subjected to torsion until t e projection passes out of engagement with the wheel 37, at which time the spring advances the projection to the front side of the recess ready to again engage-with the Wheel 37 upon the next successive rotation. By means of this mechanism, the shaft 35, although rotating continuously from any suitable source of power transmitted thereto by a pulley 38 or other suitable mechanism, causes an intermittent rotation of the shaft 36. The'shaft 36 is operatively connected to a shaft 39 by means of suitable sprockets and a chain 40, and motion is imparted from the shaft 39 to the driving ulleys 21 and 23. This transmitting mec anism preferably comprises a lar e gear wheel 41 mounted on a shaft 42 which sup orts the pulley 21, and this large gear whee meshes with a small pinion 43 carried u on a swinging arm 44. The arm is preferably pivoted upon the shaft 39, and is provided with an extension 45 adapted to be rigidly secured to the side of the main frame to hold the arm in the desired position.

Mounted on the shaft 39 adjacent the pivotal support of the arm 44 is a pinion 46 meshing with a gear Wheel 47 at the outer end of the arm and adjacent the pinion 43. The pinions 43V and 47 are vconnected together to rotate simultaneously, and by moving the arm 44, the pinion 43 may be brought out of or in engagement with the.

large gear Wheel 41. The pivoted` arm and the pinions carried thereby are provided to facilitate the changing of the speed of the pulley 21, and to secure this object I provide means whereby the pinion 43 may be readily removed and replaced by a larger or smaller one. The gear wheel 47 is preferably provided with a plurality of pins or studs 48 extending into recesses in the face of the gear Wheel 43. The latter is held in place by any suitable nieans,.as, for instance, a nut 49. When it is desired to change the speed of rotation of the belt-carrying pulley 21, the nut 49 and the pinion 43 are removed and a new pinion of larger or smaller size is inserted in place thereof. The position of the arm 44 is then adjusted to bring the new pinion into engagement with the surface of the. gear 41 and the arm is ri idly locked in the adjusted position. T e simultaneous rotation of the pulleys 21 and 23 is secured by intermeshing gear wheels 50' and 51 4mounted upon the shafts of the two pulleys, and as the pulley 23 is driven through these gears from the pulley 21, a change in the speed of rotation of the latter results in a corresponding change in the speedof rotation of the former. By varying the size of the pinion 43 and the number of the cutter knives 29, the cellular board may be delivered from the machine in any desired length.

In the operation of the machine, the singlefaced corrugated paper is coated with the adhesive by the roller 17, and this roller together with the roller 18 lretard the free passage of the single-faced paper. The rollers 19 retard the facing sheet A, and the two belts tend to draw the facing sheets C and A through the machine and maintain both of the sheets taut during the operation. Heat is usually applied to only one of the facing sheets at a ytime and while that sheet is being pasted. Pressure is applied from the opposite side and the pressure-exerting means travels with the paper and at the same speed, so as to exert a uniform pressure throughout all portions of the sheet in engagement with the heater. The belt is heavy enough to exert the desired pressure, but any unevenness in the size of the corrugations merely raises the belt slightly at this point without affecting the pressure against the other corrugations, or the crushing or flattening of the crowns of any of them. Pressure is applied' to both sides of the paper While the latter is passing between the belts, and the facing sheets are held taut all the way from the retarding rollers 18 and 19 to the pulleys 21 and 23. At the instant that the knives 29 come into engagement with the material at 'the gate 30, the 'projection 34 comes into engagement with the gear wheel 37. The cutter continues to move, but the entire advancing mechanism stops until the cutter has performed -its function, and the advancing mechanism again moves forward the material past the plate 3() while the next cutter knife is approaching said plate, the distance to which the material is advanced depending upon the size of the pinion 43. 'Having thus described my invention,- l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: Y

1. An apparatus of the character .described, comprising a stationary heater having a smooth surface, and means spaced therefrom and movable in relation thereto for advancing the paper and holding it in resiliy paper and a strip of facing paper throughthe machine each under tension, means for applying paste to the crowns of the corrugations of the corrugated strip and then bringing the facing strip into contact therewith, a stationary heater in engagement with which the facing strip passes, and-means traveling with saidv corrugated strip for holding said facing strip in engagement with said stationary heater.

5. A machine for making double-faced corrugated paper, comprising a stationary heater having a smooth surface, and an endless belt travelingv adjacent said surface and serving to advance the paper, and also-to hold it in resilient engagement with said stationary heater.

6. A machine for making double-faced corrugated pa er, comprising a stationary heater, an end ess belt for resiliently holding said paper in engagement with said heater,

and means cooperating with said belt for advancing the paper.

7 A lmachine for making double-faced corrugated paper, comprising a stationary heater, an endless belt for resiliently holding said paper in engagement with said heater,

"and a second endless belt coperating with said first-mentioned belt for advancing the paper.

8. A machine `for making double-faced corrugated paper, comprising a stationary second endless belt having a portion thereof traveling substantially in alinement with said surface and coperating with the firstr belt to advance. the paper and draw it over the 'surface of the heater.

9. ln a machine for making cellular board, the combination of advancing means for the material operated upon, a movable cutter blade, a drive shaft, operating connections between said drive shaft and said advancing means 4and between said drive shaft and said cutter, one of said connections including a gearwheel having a sector-shaped recess therein, a second lWheel adjacent said gear wheel and having a,projection extending into said recess and having gear teeth in alinement with thergear teeth of the gear wheel, resilient means for normally holding said projection in engagement with one side of the recess, and a gear wheel meshing with said first-mentioned gearwheel and said proj ection;

10. ,A machine for making double-faced' said cutter, lost motion connections between said shaft and said advancing means, where- 'by the progress of the material is stopped While the cutting means operates, and means for varying the relative speeds of Lthe advancing means and cutting means'.

12. A machine for making double-faced corrugated paper, comprisingr two endless l. belts traveling adjacent each other and constituting advancing means for the material operated upon, a movable cutter blade, a common drive shaft for said cutter blade and said belts, and' lost motion connections between said driveA shaft and said belts, whereby the latter are stopped while the movable Vcutter blade operates to 'subdivide thevmaterial advanced by the belts.

13. A machine for making double-faced corrugated paper, comprising advancing means for the material operated upon, .a movable cutter blade, a common driveshaft forsaid cutter blades and .said vadvancing means, and lost motion connections between said drive shaft and said advancing means,

whereby the latter is stopped while the movable cutter blade operates to subdivide 'the material advanced, said lost motion connections comprising a gear wheel having a sector-shaped recess therein, a second wheel adjacent said gear wheel and having a' projection extendinginto said recess, vand having isi gear teeth in alnement with the gear teeth name to this specification in the presence of of the gear Wheel, a spring for normally holdtwo subscribing Witnesses.

ing said projection nenfravement with one e side of the recess, and a geer Wheel meshing a SAMUEL MACDONALD LMGSEON' with sald inst-mentioned gear Wheel and sald Wltnesses:

projection. J. W. ROGERS,

In testimony whereof I have signed my l CAR-L H. EVANS. 

